you're going to an official estimates more than one point two million venezuelans live in colombia legally and illegally. why return to venezuela. visiting friends he said i don't think i'd ever go back there to live you know where i live there again i don't know so i'm not sure. their witness global news that matters. made. this is news africa coming up in the next fifteen minutes a little indie takes the last steps to restrict criticism of president putin has been isolated to international agencies critical of his actions we'll hear from the un rights activists. and bring you the concerns of attacks on people with albinism in malawi as the country prepares for

a general election campaign is demanding. to mall. i'm christine wonderwall come to news africa i'm glad you're cheated in but on days government has forced the u.n. human rights office in the country to close off to twenty three yes this is the latest step in what appears to be a crackdown on criticism by international observers the country's deepening political crisis began in twenty fifteen when president announced he would run for another disputed term that had two months of violence that the un has said killed more than one thousand two hundred people in twenty seventeen history by becoming the first country to withdrawal from the international criminal court this year has already seen about thirty of the international n.g.o.s shut down their services in

the east african country has the un's human rights folks person on the situation in . we have very credible reports all human rights violations in abuses including killings forced disappearances ill treatment arbitrary arrests and detention. threats and restrictions on the freedom of association expression and movement these are ongoing allegations that we are receiving from november two thousand and sixteen until september two thousand and eighteen. our office received at least eleven thousand and fifty so that's eleven zero five zero allegations of arbitrary arrests and detentions in burundi all right the list maj is central africa director for human rights watch and he joins me now from he's home in vermont hi lewis welcome to news africa why is here. cracking down on human rights groups in this way. well this is this is

a trend that has been emerging in since two thousand and fifteen. has been a protracted crisis now coming on to four years and human rights groups historically both a lively vibrant civil society that used to exist in the country and groups such as human rights watch used to have a real role in trying to guide the government on policy human rights abuses i think it's important to note that up until two thousand and fifteen in terms of civil society in terms of media and in terms of human rights organizations was a real beacon for the region. and example for freedom of expression freedom of association and despite major problems in the country in terms of arbitrary detention torture and killing things these groups still have the space within which to work that all change in twenty fifteen there was an attempted coup. the

president has been increasingly more and more isolated and with that come a crackdown on anyone who seeks to to do any type of investigations or in your reporting so sadly this is just part of a trend and unfortunately in our opinion and we don't think this trend is going to be changed anytime soon i think the government is becoming more and more especially as we move into a period all right get us i mean you've spent twelve years on this continent right when we talk about organizations such as yours snoozing access to a country like this is there still some way you are able to monitor what's going on in a given country or does that rainy just mean you lose the visibility. well we certainly do lose a degree of his ability to be clear the last time human rights watch has worked in two thousand and sixteen since then it's been difficult for us to gain access to

the country so to a degree it is more difficult however that certainly doesn't mean that we stop work on the country the fact of the matter is that technology has made it a lot easier to access people in the country without with limited surveillance capabilities on the part of the government so use what you signal but more importantly you must remember that there are hundreds of thousands of burundians who have fled the country and who continue to flee the country on a daily basis they go countries such as tanzania rwanda and uganda with our regional teams we are able to continue to keep an eye on the situation of the city these refugees who are coming out with fresh information regarding state oppression they killings and people being obliged to both donate and join the ruling and you have to do all right you know it's what does the international community do. look burundi was in twenty fifteen twenty sixteen to really kind of got back on the agenda for the united nations and it's been one of an intractable situation since

then and in some ways in our opinion there india is kind of fallen back off of the agenda we think it's vital that ruby maintain its place in the public eye at every occasion parindey should be reminded that this type of this type of behavior france is not acceptable is certainly shouldn't have a seat on the human rights council. and you know international donors and international partners of burundi should remind it that it really needs to take a step back to where it was in the twenty a level twenty twenty thirteen period it's not to say that things were going swimmingly then there were problems then but there was a type of a political space and there was a space for free association and free expression so it really is going to be in the burden remains on international partners to keep this country in the focus especially as we move into these electoral periods all right lewis mad central africa director for human rights watch thank you thank you on

the story takes us to malawi which has no launched a crackdown on superstition announcing it will offer cash rewards of up to seven thousand u.s. dollars for information about abductions and killing of people with albinism the move comes in response to growing anger of the government's lack of action on the issue that's off to a recent spate of attacks on people with albinism which is a genetic order that causes a lack of pigmentation in the skin eyes and hey they've long been targeted in malawi and other african countries changed the belief that they have body parts can be used in witchcraft to increase well amongst other things. this young girl might never see her brother again she's afraid he's been murdered because like her he was born with albinism. he was abducted from their home in central malawi three weeks ago the family fear the attackers could return.

i'm worried about my daughter's safety. who. i don't know how i'm going to protect the murderer. i'm really worried. that. the u.n. says one hundred fifty people with albinism in malawi have been attacked abducted or killed in the last five years. and if there were no longer with people with albinism in malawi have no peace and were not protected devoted. following the boy's abduction in february demonstrators took their concerns to the streets of malawi's deads a district calling on earth or at least to address the issue. so far the response has been slow you know if you look. here in our troop. in terms. of.

victims. the evil practice has gone. perhaps the same could work here it could be that. in an attempt to curb the killings the government is now offering a generous reward for information about attacks on people with albinism but some people say the move doesn't go far enough. ok deborah was in the channel is regional director for amnesty international in southern africa he joins me now from johannesburg mr much and it's good to have you on and welcome to news africa we know that attacks on people with albinism in malawi typically tend to spike around an election period an election is coming up in may what what is behind that. thank you very much for having me is generally true that there are moments in which attacks ticket spike and election mormons are one of them because of the existence

of a deep seated culture of false beliefs that bourne's on body parts of a person with albinism give you lucky charms but there's a general problem in the country often talks of people are going is over people with albinism discrimination and deep seated feelings that the justice system is failing so there is a culture of impunity to sawyer at all times you're likely to find abductions killings in the tux so it might not be a cute little good elections but it's a general program that requires decisive leadership all right and speaking about decisive leadership we're hearing some rumblings in the malawian government some ministers considering the death penalty for people who kill people with albinism what do you make of that. or kill people who kill people to demonstrate that killing people is bet i think the idea that if you impose the death penalty you win

this suddenly vanished and disappear the program off systematic discrimination deep seated attacks and killings of persons with albinism is force as you normally sort of national is opposed to the death penalty for all crimes and believes that in malawi these enough tools in the criminal justice system to work with in order to ensure that this problem has disappeared in twenty sixteen when we face to reporting the country we went with the government to ensure that there were legislative reforms on the anatomy act as well as the panel court but what has not happened is the slow pace of justice the absence of the investigative process in the absence of skills within the police to do d.n.a. testing as well as simply so that you are able to ensure that kind committed in various parts of the this can come together and be limited once and for all right you've done i mean amnesty to that has come out about two reports on this in malawi

the most recent being lost a year later to the chinese sixteen one what has culminated from that with. one of those wiki has resulted in a good to awareness about the human rights of pets and with albinism across the country because we've mounted a huge human rights education campaign together with as was the issue in offices with albinism the un country team and other civic bodies but we also have seen legislative changes and the anatomy x. of the pen our code and provision of sons congression of government of facilities what is not moved is the community justice system that it has not responded efficiently and would speak to ensure that those arrested taken through if it kept process and sentenced and impunity as will continue to reign people being killed in custody when they are undergoing investigations and the absence of social protection security protection and safety these are the things that continue to

create powerful and that we now seen over the last two months at least three of duction skilling's of cases that have not been concluded and i'm looking for is to get so the government need to strengthen its criminal justice system and it needs to sit secure a social security protection of just seven thousand people in malawi so it took a huge population group right much and a regional director for amnesty international southern africa thank you. and that is it funny that the nice epic that was the day the next time i fight to. stay up to date don't miss our highlights. program online d.w. dot com highlights. the players. to. just. chill. in

a poker game of power and money the competition is fierce for the world's most important natural. resource bluffing betting checking how long will they be able to play and who will win this thing we believe that renewable energy will play an important role in the future. the cook game the geopolitical investigation starting march eighteenth on t.w. . hello welcome it sought some culture all the way for the next quarter of an armed robber merrill m here's what's coming up. new superhero film captain marvel starring brede olsen opens around the world.

rival. our very own baking correspondent good old mathis reaches belgium on his plate making just. bots we begin with one of the major exhibitions of the year in germany two giants of the renaissance and grandma giovanni bellini coming together in an exhibition of more than one hundred of their works this is being made possible by cooperation between london's national gallery and berlinski method a gallery who between them disaster the most works by these artists outside a silly. eisenhower is the man in charge of state museums he seemed quite a lot in his time but even he is getting quite a few sieves about this latest. does it by community stream paintings by my tenure incredibly influential in the history of

arts to me it is also the first time that these three paintings have been loaned together from the queen's collection and they were exhibited once in ninety two.